Hailing from Magherafelt, a small town in Northern Ireland, JC Stewart is becoming an increasingly popular name in the music industry, with a phenomenal success story to accompany.
Since first bursting onto the music scene several years ago, he continues to go from strength to strength. Not only has he released numerous singles, including ‘Bones,’ ‘Have You Had Enough Wine?’, ‘Pick Up Your Phone’ and most recently ‘Lying That You Love Me,’ but he has also worked alongside Lewis Capaldi on hit track ‘Hollywood,’ which features on the album ‘Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent.’ Additionally, he has supported a range of artists, including Lauv, James Bay and Anne-Marie.
Over the past couple of months, he has continually been developing his music sound by working with a variety of esteemed producers and writers, who have inevitably helped to influence a new and very exciting chapter in his music career. JC Stewart is set to take his music on the road later this year, with a headline tour that will see him performing in venues across Europe, the UK and Ireland.
A self-professed ‘Professional Sad Boy,’ his music is mainly driven by a pop and acoustic sound. Using his own personal past experiences of love and heartbreak to plough into his music, it truly is something that each listener can connect with in their own way.
As one of The Lowdown’s ‘Ones To Watch’ artists, our writer Rachel had the opportunity to exclusively speak with JC Stewart about his music, his plans for 2020, and much more!
Throughout 2019, you released a whole host of singles. Do you have a single that
stands out for you?
"I think my favourite was ‘Bones.’ I wrote it ages ago and then it came out and I was like, ‘oh, that’s done!’ It’s fun to play live with the band. It’s a proper depressing song as well, which is the dream!"
Later this year, you’re going to be embarking on your own headline tour around Europe, the UK and Ireland. Is there any aspect in particular you are most looking forward to?
"I just love being in a different city and playing with my band every day – it’s so much fun! We’re getting a tour bus for this tour, so you just have an Xbox and watch movies in a bus and then you have your bunk. I love sleeping on buses! You find socks in a lot of weird places too! I remember that I borrowed a jacket off a guy for the last tour. I gave it back to him and asked if it was alright. He said that there was a chilli sauce stain on it and then he told me that there was a sock in the pocket. The randomness of touring is quite fun!"
You helped write ‘Hollywood’ with Lewis Capaldi, Will you be writing with other artists during the year, as well as working on your own material?
"We do have some stuff coming up! I’m going to Los Angeles in a couple of weeks. I’ll be
doing some stuff out there, but there’s nothing that I can talk about yet! Me and Lewis are
going to be doing some more writing. We will have to see what happens!"
Who would you say are your musical influences, who have an influence on your sound?
"I wasn’t very cool as a kid, so I didn’t like any of the cool bands until I was about fifteen or sixteen. I started liking James Morrison and The Script when I was around twelve. There are
a load of local Northern Irish bands that I listened to – including Snow Patrol, Two Door Cinema Club, Foy Vance and Kodaline. It was a lot of Irish people! I think that was what drove me."
Aside from upcoming music releases and your tour, what else does 2020 have in
store for you?
"I don’t really have a life outside of this. I live in London, with other musicians – it’s a vibe! I
love living in London. I’m just going to be doing this. It’s really fun."
Finally, do you have a message for all your dedicated supporters?
"First of all, you’re mental. Secondly, thank you for funding my Nando’s addiction – it’s
fantastic!"
You can read our extended interview with JC in Issue One of The Lowdown Magazine, grab your copy online HERE.
Interview by Rachel Dempster